A Twist In Time
by tread-on-me-not
Summary: Elena is from the present, and is thrown into the past where Man, Elves, Orcs, and Wizards rule. When she meets King Thranduil, her fate becomes tangled with his. In a world where Elves do not romantically mix with humans, will King Thranduil fall for Elena, or will she find a way back to her time and untangle her fate from his? Pre-Hobbit, romance fluffy, and a bit Mary-Sue-ish
1. Chapter 1

Heeey there everyone. So I love Thranduil and I thought I'd give a fanfic a go. This one may be Mary-Sue-ish (you have been warned ;) ). Now I've never really been much of a fan girl, but after I saw him in the first Hobbit, I thought, "what the heck, why not?" I mean, who doesn't love Lee Pace as Thranduil?-Magnificent! I can't wait for the next movie, I hope he's gonna be all over it!

So, a couple things before I start. One, I will be breaking several Tolkien rules in this story to make it more romance fluffy. Two, this chick in the story will be from the future, just 'cause I thought It'd be fun to get a gal from our perspective to fall for the Elven King. I will try my best to keep him in character, and lastly is the time frame is before Legolas is born…fingers crossed; I hope this goes well!

I am keeping this rated M just in case.

**I do not own The Hobbit, or King Thranduil (darn it!), only my OC.**

_**Chapter 1**_

Elena road at a leisurely pace astride Starlight, a generous gift from Lord Elrond. The beautiful pony was very sweet tempered and didn't seem to mind the long journey. When she had first arrived at Rivendell, Lord Elrond had taken kindly to her, and even taught her how to ride a horse, which was helpful since Elena was originally from Opa Locka and had never even seen a pony in her life. Elena was stunned by the vastness of this land, and wondered again how far away she was from her destination. When Lord Elrond asked her to send a message to another Elf Lord, she had gladly taken up the task as it was a way out of her sadness of constantly thinking of her home. But she had not prepared for this wide open space, you could travel for days and still get nowhere. She thanked God for the hundredth time that Lord Elrond gave her the pony; it definitely cut her time in half.

After about three weeks her provisions were low, and she began to worry if she had taken a wrong turn. Up ahead she could see a river and decided that it would be a good place to rest and get her bearings. After a few trots, Elena stepped down from Starlight and began to take an empty water canister out to refill it with the river water. Starlight huffed at her.

"I know baby girl, I know. But we'll get there soon, I promise. Hopefully…" Elena quickly stretched her sore legs then bent down to scoop up some water. Starlight whined loudly. The incredible echo in the forest it created was a bit eerie and caused Elena to stop just above the surface of the water to look warily around them for the first time. She suddenly remembered what Lord Elrond said about the Forest Elves and how there was an enchanted river that flowed before it that caused people to fall into a deep sleep should they drink of it. There was also only one gate, one way in, one way out. Elrond told her how this Elven King was close to nature here, in his realm, he knew all, and all was at his mercy.

She shivered involuntarily, thinking back at the small worried glint in Elrond's eye as she was offered the task of messenger. She thought nothing of it, and she knew that if he believed her to be in real danger when coming to this realm, he would not have allowed her to come here. She shook her head slightly and silently scolded herself for being ridiculous. Elrond's reaction though was a bit curious, she certainly hoped that this Elf Lord was not cruel as she was only a human, but she then remembered hearing from the other Elves in Rivendell how he helped other mortals that were near his home when they were in need.

She kept thinking about that and slowly took a deep breath with her eyes closed. She needed to remain calm, for it was clear that she was in his realm. "Mirkwood," she murmured under her breath. While Starlight was busy munching away at the grass, Elena could feel the eyes of strangers upon her, and she knew that the forest was too quiet. Forcing a facade of calmness, she once again lowered her canister and drowned it in the river water in an attempt to show that she had no idea where she was or that they were watching her. Bringing up the bottle full of river water, she capped it and set it on Starlight's pack, gently petting and whispering to her as she continued to munch on the grass.

Finally, she mustered her courage and turned to face the river again. Fear slightly crept up her spine, but she forced it down, reminding herself that she was only delivering a message, not invading a territory, and therefore had no reason to fear. With that in repeating in her mind she said, "I know you are there, and I know you can hear me. I am here to deliver a message to your King from Lord Elrond."

Silence. Silence was all she heard for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, she looked up to the tall trees and waited. Then, as though they had all come to an agreement, three of them came down from the highest branches surrounding her, each barley making a sound as they hit the ground. She could feel that there were more up in the other trees though, she was certain that these were not the only ones here.

She looked up at them and smiled, "my name is Elena." Holding out a ring with Lord Elrond's seal as proof of the truth of her words.

Looking at the ring, one of them nodded and said, "well met Elena, a friend of Lord Elrond is a friend of ours." He turned away and began walking towards some unseen entrance ahead of them, "Come, so that you may request an audience with Lord Thranduil." The three Elves were each tall, slim, and athletic with grace and deadly elegance in each step. She was momentarily mesmerized by the Wood Elves, but quickly snapped out of it and grabbed Starlight's reins and began walking behind the Elves.

Besides the initial introduction, in which she still had not learned their names, they did not speak. The small group continued walking through the maze of vines and nature everywhere until they finally reached a short narrow "road" that lead up to a gate. The one that spoke to her earlier said something rapidly in what she assumed was Elvish and the gate was opened.

The sight of the Mirkwood Kingdom took her breath away. The trees stood almost as tall as some skyscrapers that she grew up seeing. Within the forest, the Elves had carved out their home. Standing high above them were elegant houses within the trees with long walk ways connecting the trees together, a sort of natural highway. Everything was hidden in the trees, flora and fauna flourished everywhere, and there was something about the place that seemed peaceful, there was even a golden glow that bathed the entire region.

Absolutely marvelous. "Can you imagine the termite problem here?" She muttered so no one but Starlight could hear her. Starlight answered with another huff, though whether it was in agreement, or simply in annoyance for not being allowed to eat for the moment was unclear. Elena smirked at the pony then turned back to the Elves.

Once they reached the staircase that would lead them to the highway which would then presumably lead them to the palace, they turn to her and said in a silk voice, "we will need to go up the staircase, and I'm afraid your pony will not be able to make the journey. Leave her here with the stable master," he inclined his head towards another Elf not five feet to Elena's left, "he will take care of her."

"Alright." Elena turned towards Starlight again and rubbed her neck gently, "I'm sorry mami, but I'm going to have to part with you for a little while." Even though she had only been with the pony for a little while, she had grown quite attached to the adorable little thing. Smiling, she handed the reins over to the stable master and headed towards the waiting Elves.

After walking in the tree maze for what felt like two hours, they finally reached their destination. A massive palace came into view, and Elena immediately quit mentally grumbling about the long walk once it caught her eye. "Dios mio, es increible…"

They entered the enormous double doors and came into the main throne. Before them was a very, very large room filled with Elven soldiers, servants, silver, gold, and silk. Everything was in silver, gold, and silk, even the soldiers and servants. Elena then looked directly before her, noticing the throne itself and was a bit freaked out by the giant antlers on it, but said nothing. Once again, there was nothing but silence as they walked up to the throne. There was a man she assumed was the King with his back to them. He was looking at something that another Elf had brought to him and was not paying much attention to the small group, though Elena was sure that he was aware of their presence.

Once they reached the throne, the Elves placed a fist across their chest, took a knee, and bowed to their King. The guy who spoke before who appeared to be the leader of the little group spoke something in Elvish to the King with his head bowed.

Finally the King turned around slowly to face them. When he was fully in their view, he lifted his ice blue eyes and bore them straight into her dark brown ones. The full force of his majestic presence nearly knocked her off her feet. All the beauty and elegance of the other Elves, and Mirkwood put together could not compare to him, not even Rivendell was anywhere near as beautiful as he was. His tall slim figure was draped in royal robes of light green with white silken symbols written on them. His glorious straight long blonde hair fell down his back and shoulders, his fine facial features were in a relaxed indifferent facial expression, and on top of his head was a crown fashioned from branches and ferns. His eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul, almost as though he were reading her mind. And there was something about the popped collar that made him look dangerous and attractive at the same time. The whole time, she had not noticed the three Elven guards stand up and walk over to the side, watching her reaction to their King.

She stifled a squeak at his presence and meekly curtsied. Though she did not have the strength to constantly look him in the eye, she did notice an amused glint in his eyes due to her reaction before she lowered hers to the ground.

He was the first to speak. "Suiliaidl. Man le estach?"

She frowned and looked up at him, "I'm sorry?"

"Pedich Edhellen?"

"I don't understand."

A corner of his mouth raised slightly in what appeared to be a smirk, "what is your name," he asked in perfect English.

"Oh, my name is Elena, your majesty." She was not used to kissing butt, but in front of him, she felt compelled to do so.

"Aelia here has told me that you have traveled a long way." He gathered his robe in the crook of his arm and walked slowly over to his throne, looking away from her. She was grateful for the momentary freedom since her head went all fuzzy whenever he looked at her.

Assuming that 'Aelia' was the guy who previously spoke to her, she curiously took a peek at him. He was still looking at her from the sidelines with an impassive expression. She directed her attention to the King again. "Yes My Lord, I have come from Rivendell to deliver a message to you from Lord Elrond."

He had draped himself with King like laziness over his throne, "what is it?"

"I'm not sure to be honest, it's written on this letter." She took out a sealed parchment and handed it to Aelia who walked up the throne steps, and in turn, handed it to King Thranduil. He sat up as he took the letter and broke the seal.

She stared at him as he read the letter, still mesmerized by him as his blue eyes scanned the letter, his robe carelessly draped across his spread legs. When he was done reading it he closed the parchment and looked up at her. "It seems that you are held in high favor in the eyes of Lord Elrond. He speaks highly of you in his letter."

Elena lowered her eyes and fidgeted a little, uncomfortable with praise, "thank you. My Lord Elrond is most generous."

He stood up and walked over to her, handing the letter back to Aelia. The corner of his mouth curved slightly again, but this time, it appeared kind. "Thank you for delivering the message. You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you wish, Elena."

The way her name rolled off his tongue with such elegance sent a shiver down her spine. "Thank you, sire. But I would not wish to impose. I actually meant to start heading back as soon as I had delivered the letter to you."

He chuckled quietly, "nonsense, I would not have someone Lord Elrond cares for sent packing wearily back without being exposed to proper Mirkwood hospitality." He turned towards a female servant Elf standing off to the side with her hands folded. "Namaria will see that you have proper accommodations, and will escort you to my table for dinner tonight."

Elena's widened, "My Lord, you are far too generous, r-really, I have no problem leaving now, I have grown quite accustomed to travel-I would not want to be a burden in your house."

He gave a small gentle smile, "you are no burden, and I insist that you stay for a while." He turned toward Namaria who was now standing beside him. "Namaria, show her to her room and have her properly dressed to sit at my table."

"Yes My Lord," Namaria said softly with her eyes lowered as she bowed. She looked at Elena, "this way please."

Still stunned by the King's decision, she looked up at him and bowed again before following Namaria through the palace doors mutely.

Translations:

**Spanish**

_"Dios mio, es increible": _My God, it's incredible

**Sindarian** (**Elvish**)

_Suiliaidl_: Greetings

_Man le estach?_: What do you call yourself?

_Pedich Edhellen?_: Do you speak Elvish?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Ari! Thank ya so much, I do hope you enjoy the rest! ;D. On with the King Thranduil romance!

**I do not own The Hobbit, only my OC.**

_**Chapter 2**_

Walking down the long moonlit corridor, Elena felt a little out of place as she followed Namaria. Marble statue after marble statue of great ancient heroes passed by, heavy silk curtains covering long side windows, and everything was so…clean. Namaria led the way in complete silence, in fact, if Elena had not been following her, she might not have even known that she was there; her light steps that barely made a sound reminded her of a graceful ghost.

The servant girl then stopped and opened a door to her left. Elena shyly and curiously popped her head around the door to peek inside. The room was large and held a massive bed filled with pillows, a dresser, a side table covered with assorted brushes and hairpins, big double doors that led to a balcony. It was like a hotel room for a King.

Namaria turned around from the center of the room to look at Elena with her eyebrow raised in question. Elena was still partially behind the door looking in with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "What is this?"

The servant girl gave a soft musical laugh, "this is your room. Lord Thranduil has it prepared for guests." She then walked over to another door in the room which appeared to lead into another room just as large. "This is your wardrobe that you will wear while you stay…that is, unless you still wish to keep on what you are wearing."

By now Elena had walked over to the middle of the room. She looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. Lord Elrond had insisted that she wear something provided by him while she traveled, but she felt more comfortable in her normal 'future' clothes. They were now rather dirty and sweaty; she had no desire to keep them on. "What these? Oh dear no, please." She laughed a bit.

Namaria had her hand on a dress in the closet while looking back at Elena and laughing along with her. "That's good. Lord Thranduil appreciates fine things and would absolutely prefer that you wear something more suitable, and comfortable."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of sitting at his table with this on." Elena's mind was still reeling from what had just transpired in the throne room. She entered the closet and gasped at the dresses before her. They were all incredibly beautiful and very expensive looking. Fine gold, light green, dark green, dark red, each with beautiful silver Elven symbols gracing them.

"Which would you prefer to wear for dinner tonight?" After some consideration, Elena decided on the dark red one, which complimented her dark curly hair nicely. Namaria quietly pulled the dress out and placed it on the bed then heading to the bathroom, which was also behind another door in the bedroom, to run her a bath.

Elena walked over to the bed and ran her hand over the dress as she waited for the bath to be drawn. Running her hand over the dark ruby colored dress, shining in the yellow sunset whose rays had graced the side of her bed, she felt a sudden loneliness wash over her. Dropping her hand, she walked over to a chair close to the bed and sunk her head in her arms. She still could not believe that she was here in this era; it seemed like a different world altogether separate from Earth. All her friends, family, dreams, gone. All of it. Sighing in despair, a tear escaped her eye as Namaria came out of the bathroom, having prepared the bath.

"The bath is ready." She said then looked up at Elena and noticed her disposition. "Is everything alright? You appear sad," she asked, concern in her tone.

Blinking quickly, she stood up and discreetly wiped the tear from her eye, "No I'm alright, just very tired" she lied easily.

Still seeming a little unconvinced, Namaria relented, "alright. I will give you some privacy. The dinner begins after sunset. Let me know if you need anything."

Elena smiled, "thank you very much." As the servant girl walked out the room, she headed towards the bath and shut the door. Stripping her dirty clothes off and flinging them off to the side, "iiik, boy am I glad to get that off of me." She walked over to the bath and lightly skimmed her fingertips over the surface of the water. After deciding that it was fine, she slipped in with a deep sigh escaping her lips. She hadn't realized just how tired she actually was. 

The candlelight shined throughout the dining room and caused the robes of the guests to sparkle brilliantly. Light happy laughter filled the room as the Elves each enjoyed the beginning of their meals. The table was long and filled with many different Elves of noble birth, each dressed in fine gowns and dripping with jewels, and at the head of the table was their King.

Thranduil was currently giving his attention to Lady Galatea; a beautiful young noble girl who obviously sought his affections. She was by right of high birth and sought to go higher by winning the hand of the King. Thranduil, however, was beginning to regret having placed her seat so close to his; she had not stopped talking since she first sat down.

During the middle of the conversation, Thranduil's attention was taken from Galatea to another being who had just entered the room. A young human girl dressed in a ruby gown with small ruby jewels to hold her hair half up. The gown dipped low in a tantalizing cleavage and hugged her full figure, and her dark brown eyes appeared darker, and lips redder in the night.

Surprised that the King's attention was no longer on her, Galatea turned her head in the direction where he was looking at and immediately bristled. The young woman was clearly a mortal yet still exquisitely beautiful…for a mortal.

The girl was at a loss as she was clearly late and unsure of where to sit. Elena had gotten lost in the long corridors of the palace and at first could not find her way. Her eyes swept the long dining table until she locked eyes with the King. She froze, half startled by his presence again, and half afraid of his reaction. The King lazily lifted one hand and beckoned her over to him. Elena gulped and slowly made her way down the steps, gripping the silky dress in one hand to not embarrass herself any further by falling. As she began to walk towards Thranduil, the room became silent and everyone turned to stare at her, which only pricked her nerves all the more.

Elena approached the seat that he had assigned for her, which was right next to him; a seat of honor for a guest. A servant pulled the chair out for her to sit on and pushed her chair in. She fiddled with her hands in her lap under the table as the room gradually picked up the pace of their separate conversations once again.

From the corner of her eye she saw Thranduil raise a glass to his lips and take a sip, still saying nothing to her, though he did not appear irritated with her. If he was displeased by her tardiness, he did not show it.

Thranduil watched the girl slightly squirm in discomfort under his gaze from above the rim of his cup. He placed the wine down and continued to look at her, "good of you to join us, Lady Elena."

She flicked her eyes over at his for a second, then, as though she could not take the intensity of them, she let them fall on her glass that was now being filled with wine by a servant. "I apologize for being late sire, but I got lost along the way."

He watched her chest rise and fall as she nervously took quick breaths, "it is alright, though next time, I suggest you have Namaria show you the way."

"Yes my Lord." She looked up at him and saw his normally cold facial expression warm up a little, and she relaxed under his gaze.

"How do you find my home, are you pleased with the accommodations?" He took his eyes off her to look down at his plate, his thick dark lashes casting shadows on his face.

"Oh yes my Lord, thank you so much for your kindness, it is all far more than I could ever ask for," she stuttered, still mesmerized by him.

He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow slightly, "you are most welcome. And I must say that the dress suits you beautifully." He swept his gaze over her figure again.

Elena blushed furiously gluing her eyes to her plate, melting at his attention. 'Darn it Elena,' she thought to herself, 'since when do you let any man make you this fussy?' Gritting her teeth, she was determined to keep her head clear, no matter how gorgeous this darn King was. "Thank you very much sire." She picked up the fork and ate very small portions of the meal, still self-conscious of his gaze, though she wanted nothing more than to gobble up everything in sight like an animal.

Clearly annoyed by the all the attention Thranduil was giving the mortal girl, Galatea fumed quietly during their exchange. 'Who is this girl that the King should give her a room in his palace? He has never invited me here. And he places her right next to him, while I am three chairs down from him!' Galatea cleared her throat, "My Lord Thranduil, I do not believe I have told you the last bit of my story that I was telling you earlier."

He lifted his eyes and peered at her from underneath his lashes, his warm expression gone, "perhaps another time Galatea, as you can see, I am entertaining my guest."

Stunned into silence, she stared at him with wide bright green eyes. When he continued to stare at her, as though to dare her to say anything else, she quickly looked down at her plate.

Thranduil shifted his eyes back to Elena and sunk to the side of his chair, one hand draped over his wine glass. "So tell me, Elena, how did you come to know Lord Elrond of Rivendell?"

Elena looked at Galatea, then back at him, unsure if she should tell him that she was from the future. It seemed silly really, but she had told Elrond and Gandalf, and they did not find her foolish for telling them, but should she really say it here in front of everyone? At the same time, she couldn't just say no to the King. She decided to tell him half the story, "I am from a far land to the West. While I was traveling, I got lost and a group of Orc found me and tried to kill me, but Lord Elrond had been riding that day and saved my life. He took me in and cared for me as his own daughter. He's been very kind to me."

"A pack of Orc? What were you doing traveling so far from home?" Thranduil drank from his glass again. Elena noticed that he really seemed to enjoy wine, though despite the amount he was drinking, he never became intoxicated.

"My father was killed in battle, and since he was an officer, he carried some valuable top secret information. I guess the person that tried to kill me was looking for that information and didn't realize that my father never told me any of it since it was top secret. I was running away when I got lost, and haven't been able to find my way back since."

A few people close to them that had heard her stopped talking to look at her incredulously. Elena waited patiently for the King's response. She wasn't sure if he would believe her, though she was telling the truth, just not the bit about the time machine.

Thranduil furrowed his eyebrows, "I am sorry for your lose. You may stay here for as long as you wish. So long as you are in my Kingdom, you will be protected against your assailant."

"That is very kind sire, though I doubt he knows where I am."

"And what is the name of this person?"

"Dover Berseth. He is a spy."

"An odd name. As I said, you may stay here for as long as you wish, however, if you do wish to leave for Rivendell, let me know and I will place you under guard to keep you safe." He gave her one of his ever so slight smiles with gentle looking eyes.

Elena smiled brightly, "thank you my Lord!" She poked around at her food feeling happy in her heart.

As the evening continued, she remembered her stay in Dale and didn't understand why some of the people referred to Thranduil as the 'great and terrible King Thranduil'. She watched him for the rest of the night and saw his gentle side. He listened to the Elves politely as they each spoke to him about their families, past battles, and simple things like the seasons.

As the dinner drew to an end, Elena was surprised by how much she managed to munch on since she had been eating at a polite slow pace, mainly to not gross out anyone at the table. The King stood up and thanked everyone for attending and people were dismissed.

Elena began to head out when a hand firmly grasped her arm. Gasping, she looked back to see Thranduil towering over her, "I wish to speak with you in private."

"O-of course your majesty." She blinked a few times and followed him out of the dining room and into the corridor opposite from the one everyone else was exiting from.

Galatea saw them leaving together and seethed, "how dare she come here and take him from me! That filthy mortal, who does she think she is?"

Her brother Ilion snorted, "It appears that Lord Thranduil has a taste for fresher grapes from the vine." Standing next to his sister with a wine glass in his right hand, anyone could easily see that they were siblings. They both had long chestnut colored hair and bright green eyes. Though both were taller than Elena, Ilion was taller still than Galatea.

Galatea turned towards her brother and slapped his left arm hard, "are you saying that I am too old? I am only 400 years! That hardly makes me a prune."

"Ouch sister, such a cruel thing you are," Ilion complained. He frowned at her then crossed his arms. "Well with an attitude like that, it's no wonder the King hasn't called you to him yet."

Galatea's face turned beet red and she nearly screeched. Ilion realized he may have pushed her too far, "oh quiet Galatea, you will be Queen. This girl is nothing compared to you. Her beauty, like all mortals, will wither."

"But I don't want to wait that long!"

"Then don't. I will help you become Queen, just don't forget who placed you there once you are the Queen."

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, and then smiled brightly at him, realizing other people were beginning to look at her since she threw her small tantrum. "Of course brother, you are always looking out for me, how could I ever forget you?" She looped her arm through his and they walked out the main entrance together.

"Well now, that's certainly more like it," Ilion stated, still holding the wine glass as they exited. 

Elena stepped into the room Thranduil had brought her to. There was a desk with books and maps covering it, and a large comfortable looking chair behind it. In the background fire crackled and glow bathed everything in an orange yellow color.

Thranduil closed the door behind them and she turned to look at him, "this is your study." It was a statement.

He smirked again, "what were you expecting, Lady Elena?"

Her eyes widened and dropped to the floor in embarrassment, "Oh no, nothing like that, I was just- well, I wasn't sure what to expect to be honest. It's just very late and I wasn't sure what you needed to speak to me about at this hour."

He looked at her quietly as he headed over to his desk. Finally, he looked down at the things on his desk and spoke, "this is my Kingdom Elena. I have a special connection to all the beings here. Both plant, animal, Elves, and man. From the moment you set foot in my woods I knew there was a daughter of Eve in my domain. I cannot read minds per say, however, I can feel when you are telling me the truth."

'Daughter of Eve? What a weird way to say mortal woman.' Elena laughed to herself, then his words began to sink into her and she wrung her hands. This was it; she was going to have to risk him thinking that she's a lunatic. She sighed mentally, well; she knew that she was going to have to tell him sooner or later.

By the fireplace, Thranduil leaned over his desk, his elegant long fingers skimming the surface of his maps as he read them. His long blond hair draped over one shoulder like a silky curtain. His face appeared in relaxed concentration, though he was actually paying her his attention. "Though I can tell that you have told me the truth, I can feel that you have not told me all of it."

Time seemed to stand still. He waited, and she hesitated. Eventually, she gave in, "Okay. I'll tell you what happened, but I just hope you don't think I'm crazy afterwards."

He lifted his eyes to her as she walked over to him. Standing on the opposite side of his desk, she looked at the map he had been reading as he watched her. "I was born several thousand years in the future. My father was an officer in the military and had joined a war. When he-" she swallowed to keep from crying and frowned a bit, "when he was killed in battle, they sent me a letter and a folded flag. Though I know it was supposed to be a gesture of kindness, it felt something like, 'hey so your dad is dead, sorry 'bout that, here's a flag though.' I lost my mind. My family couldn't control me, so they gave up on me. My Godmother was the only one who tried to help me, but I just couldn't stay in the same place that I had grown up in; there were too many memories of him there. It broke my heart."

Elena eyes were spilling tears now and she walked over to the fireplace to hide them from him, though he had seen them fall. She continued with her back to him, "I was in China when Berseth found me, I have no idea what I was doing there, I just had to get away from everything so I left for China. Dover had found me, said that my country's military wanted to speak with me about something to do with my father. The guy looked official and everything, so I believed him. He took me to a place where he said they had a headquarters in Hong Kong. I guess that should have been my first sign, but I was still too riddled with grief to notice. They took me and for a month they held me, demanding answers. They wanted information. You see, my father was a general, and apparently, he knew a little something about a device that our country was working on that could change the world. A time machine."

She turned to look at Thranduil. He was still standing with his arms to his side, his lips pressed together and he frowned as he listened intently. She looked back at the fire, "Naturally he didn't tell me about it, that's fine. It really never bothered me, in fact, I'm proud that he was loyal to his country." She smiled at Thranduil through tears. "But the pain will never go away."

She frowned, then looked back at the fire. "Anyway, eventually, I found the time machine itself. I was afraid of what it could cause, so I stole the blue prints, and burned them before Dover could get there. I had doused the place with gasoline, and was holding a lighter in my hand. When Dover got there, he tried to stop me, but I was already set on this course. Just as he was about to shoot me, I stepped back and slipped on some paper that was on the floor and the lighter flew from my hand. The second it did, everything as in flames. I saw him catch fire and burn. But before the flames could reach me, I had fallen backwards into the machine which took me to your time era. I landed in the middle of a random field where I was then chased by Orc, and, well, you know the rest."

Elena looked back at him. Thranduil had not taken his eyes off of her as she told the story. After several moments of silence he spoke, "I see, and is there any way for you to return to you time?"

Surprised by his reaction, she shrugged, "I'm not sure, Lord Elrond is trying to help me find a way, but it's not easy. It's not like there's another time machine stuffed away here. Though he did mention how I should speak with some guy named Saruman? I guess I should get around to that, I've just been so distracted by Rivendell recently, it's such a lovely place, and the people there are so wonderful." She smiled at the memory.

Thranduil walked over to her and gripped her shoulders, "I am truly sorry for your loss and all you have been through, it could not have been easy." She looked up at him, "I can sense your surprise at my reaction. As I said, I can tell when someone is lying to me, and though your story seems farfetched, I know that you are telling me the truth. I can also feel how real your pain is, though I don't need to sense it as it is clear in your eyes."

She lowered her head as more tears escaped. His grip on her shoulders loosened a little and he raised her chin up with the curved index finger of his right hand. "Look at me." She slid her eyes to lock with his blue ones. "You are safe here; you are protected in my Kingdom." He slipped his hands down her arms to grasp her hands and lightly kissed each, never taking his eyes off of hers. "If you need anything, simply state it."

When he let her hands go, she brought her arms around to hug herself. "Thank you my Lord, for everything."


End file.
